WICB boss talks cricket today

ST JOHN’S, Antigua: The president of the West Indies Cricket Board, Teddy Griffith, will deliver a statement of major importance to West Indies cricket in a region-wide radio and television link-up via the Caribbean Media Corporation today at 9 pm Eastern Caribbean time. The WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association have been caught up in a knotty situation over players’ contracts recently.

And this tangle almost led to the West Indies taking a second-string team to the VB Series in Australia. Seven leading West Indies players are under contract to rival Cable & Wireless, while new sponsors Digicel have decided to put the sum of US$20,000 to West Indies cricket. Only yesterday, WIPA president and CEO Dinanath Ramnarine stated time and distance prevented his organisation from meeting with a WICB one-day deadline.
 
Ramnarine stated WIPA reviewed the status of current negotiations and submitted a counter-proposal to the WICB on February 19. He said, one week later, the WICB responded on February 24 and then gave their February 25 deadline. The board on the other hand held a directors meeting over a week ago and set last Monday as their deadline to complete negotiations with WIPA regarding a collective labour agreement, memorandum of understanding, players’ code of conduct and match/tour contracts. Roger Brathwaite, chief executive officer of the WICB said on Tuesday, his board was awaiting a response from the WIPA soon and an announcement regarding the latest negotiating position would be made later this week.